Ah, Deception by Gaslight. It combines some of my favorite elements. It’s the debut of a new series, which I love. It’s set in New York City during the Gilded Age. The historical mystery covers political,  economic, and social reasons for crime. And, there’s a journalist as one of the main characters. I also love the interactions between the two main characters in Kate Belli’s first Gilded Gotham mystery. Let me introduce you to Genevieve Stewart and Daniel McCaffrey.

Under the guise of Polly Palmer, journalist Genevieve Stewart follows several men down an alley in the dangerous neighborhood of Five Points. She’s determined to get the scoop on the hottest story in New York City in February 1888. Who is Robin Hood? There have been several thefts following exclusive parties, and the letters to the Globe, the paper where Genevieve works, say he’s stolen from the rich to distribute money to the needy impoverished. When Genevieve is rescued by a big, handsome man, and she accuses him of being Robin Hood, he laughs at her.

She feels ridiculed when she runs into that same man at an exclusive party for Mrs. Astor’s 400. Genevieve’s family is old money, but she hadn’t recognized Daniel McCaffrey, the man who inherited the Van Joost fortune when he was only seventeen. Now, she accuses him again of being Robin Hood. Because he feels a connection to her, Daniel insists he’s after bigger game. He’s interested in the committee formed for housing reform, a committee that includes members of the elite from society, the deputy mayor, and the police commissioner, as well as Genevieve’s former fiance. Daniel has been quietly involved in housing reform for the poor for years, and he doesn’t see the committee taking any action.

Despite their distrust of each other, Genevieve and Daniel team up to find answers. She’s almost as interested in researching Daniel, the man who came from nowhere to inherit a fortune. But, she spends time doing research at the newspaper, although she’s growing uneasy. She’s followed at night, and attacked at the newspaper office. Neither of them expected the attacks. Are they connected to Robin Hood, whose recent crimes have led to death, or are the attacks related to their duo’s recent probe into political gain? Daniel insists there are answers if they follow the money.

Deception by Gaslight is an intriguing story involving the well-connected of New York, as well as the ones who are connected only through their poverty and gangs. Belli does an excellent job incorporating the history of New York such as the orphan trains, the Draft Riots. However, it’s just background for the lives people lived from 1865-1888. The details don’t distract from the mystery itself, but sometimes they do slow it down.

Genevieve Stewart and Daniel McCaffrey are fascinating characters. I can’t say too much without ruining a reader’s enjoyment of the story. Genevieve suffers from society’s view of her eccentric family, but that also enables her to work in a profession she loves. McCaffrey’s past is a story for the reader to uncover. Their relationship, from their distrust to their sham courtship, is handled skillfully.

If you’re a fan of historical mysteries, especially those with a New York City setting, I suggest you try Deception by Gaslight.

Kate Belli’s website is http://katebelli.com/

Deception by Gaslight by Kate Belli. Crooked Lane Books, 2020. ISBN 9781643854649 (hardcover), 327p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a .pdf to review for a journal.